If you’re looking for a way to monetize your blog, then one option you might want to consider is SocialSpark, the new “social media marketing” platform from IZEA. After months of top-secret development and alpha testing that was only open to a limited number of users, SocialSpark is now in beta and is accepting blog submissions from anyone interested in signing up.
SocialSpark has several features that separate it from other paid-to-blog companies out there. I really like some of these features, but would prefer to see others modified or done away with completely.
One of the best features in SocialSpark is the code of ethics that everyone in the community must abide by. For instance, IZEA insists on 100% audit-able in-post disclosure and 100% transparency so readers never have to guess if a post is sponsored or not. In addition, SocialSpark posts are 100% search engine friendly — meaning that all paid links carry the “nofollow” attribute so as not to violate search engine rules. And finally, SocialSpark encourages bloggers to give 100% real opinions about all of the products and services they write about.
As I said, those are the good features.
There are also a bunch of features that I’m not crazy about — or that I downright despise. Some of these include dynamic pricing (which is good for advertisers, but not so great for bloggers), the confusing process of actually trying to take opportunities (is it open? Do I qualify? Do I have to wait for a slot? Do I have to request a slot?), and the whole social networking aspect of the site (the endless friend requests, props/drops, and comments).
Here’s a screen grab of part of the opps page. Click to enlarge it.
Overall, I think that SocialSpark has the potential to help people make money from their blogs and interact with other bloggers in the community. As things stand now, SocialSpark still has a long way to go before it becomes a consistent source of income for me personally, but that could all change if IZEA makes some improvements to the basic operation of the site.
Take a look for yourself and see if you like it or not!
